Air New Zealand passenger dies onboard flight to Auckland

The aircraft made an emergency landing in Cairns

Air New Zealand passengers transiting through LAX currently need an ESTA (Getty Images)

A man has died onboard a flight from Hong Kong to Auckland.

Air New Zealand flight NZ80 was diverted to Cairns International Airport in Queensland, Australia, when a medical emergency was identified.

But the passenger, understood to be over 60, died on the descent into Cairns, according to Stuff.

The Boeing 789 aircraft, which took off from Hong Kong at around 5.45pm local time, was due to land in Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, at around 9.30am on 7 January. Instead, it was diverted to Cairns, where it landed at around 2.30am.

It has been reported that the man was diabetic and had forgotten to take his insulin with him.

The plane was on the tarmac for around two hours while the body was removed and the plane refuelled.

According to air tracking platform Flight Radar, the plane continued onto Auckland after its stop in Cairns, where it arrived two hours behind schedule.

“For obvious privacy reasons, we’re not able to provide further information about the passenger,” said an Air New Zealand spokesperson.

In December, a Wizz Air flight from Georgia to Milan had to make an emergency stop in Belgrade after a woman died onboard.